Overview
Worth knowing
- No FAR Standards: Greenville ordinance contains NO Floor Area Ratio (FAR) regulations. Density controlled via du/ac (residential), lot coverage, height, setbacks only. Allows extremely dense tall structures within coverage limits. [confirmed]
- C-4 Parking Exemption: Central Business District exempts applicants from minimum off-street parking standards. Applicants submit estimates but not bound by minimums. No sight distance requirements. Enables dense vertical downtown development. [confirmed]
- Preservation Universal Exemption: Both historic properties AND preservation overlay districts universally exempt from parking standards — enables adaptive reuse but may create spillover parking on adjacent streets. [confirmed]
+ 5 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_mf 5com 4res_sf 2off 1cbd 1mu 1ind 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-6 | R-6 Single-Family Low Density | res_sf | 6,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.35 | — | — | — | 40 / 40 / 20 |
| R-9 | R-9 Single-Family Medium Density | res_sf | 9,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.35 | — | — | — | 60 / 40 / 20 |
| RM-1 | RM-1 Multi-Family Low Density | res_mf | — | 40 ft | 0.4 | — | 10 | 1 | 40 / 40 / 20 |
| RM-1.5 | RM-1.5 Multi-Family Medium Density | res_mf | — | 40 ft | 0.4 | — | 15 | 1 | 40 / 40 / 20 |
| RM-2 | RM-2 Multi-Family High Density | res_mf | — | 40 ft | 0.4 | — | 20 | 1 | 40 / 40 / 20 |
| RM-3 | RM-3 Multi-Family Very High Density | res_mf | — | 40 ft | 0.4 | — | 20 | 1 | 40 / 40 / 20 |
| RM-3/OD | RM-3/OD High-Rise Multi-Family Downtown | res_mf | 43,560 sf | 150 ft | — | — | 20 | 1 | 150 / 25 / 25 |
| OD | OD Office/Downtown | off | — | 50 ft | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0 / 7 / 15 |
| C-1 | C-1 Community Commercial | com | — | 100 ft | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0 / 7 / 15 |
| C-2 | C-2 General Commercial | com | — | 100 ft | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0 / 7 / 15 |
| C-3 | C-3 Regional Commercial | com | — | 100 ft | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0 / 7 / 10 |
| C-4 | C-4 Central Business District | cbd | — | 100 ft | — | — | — | — | 0 / 0 / 0 |
| RDV | RDV Retail/Dining Village | mu | — | 100 ft | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0 / 7 / 7 |
| S-1 | S-1 Service Commercial | com | — | 100 ft | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0 / 7 / 10 |
| I-1 | I-1 Light Industrial | ind | — | 100 ft | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0 / 15 / 10 |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
PO
Preservation Overlay District
HPHistoric and architecturally significant properties. 4+ designated districts: Heritage Neighborhood (2001), Pettigru Street, West End (1993), and others.
| review | Certificate of Appropriateness required for demolition, new construction, additions, exterior alterations |
|---|---|
| design_panel | Neighborhood design panel (residential) or urban design panel (C-4 areas) |
| exemptions | Off-street parking exempt; historic properties exempt from parking standards |
DGO
Design Guidelines Overlay District
DTDowntown Central Business District and key corridors
| review | Design Review Board; Certificates of Appropriateness via Downtown Design Guidelines |
|---|---|
| pedestrian_zone | Enhanced street-level design, active uses, human-scale features |
| vehicular_zone | Parking integration, driveway design, commercial standards |
| signage | Guidelines for Pedestrian Zone and Vehicular Zone |
UPND
Unity Park Neighborhood District
SPDReedy River Corridor redevelopment; downtown core to Furman University area
| focus | Form, scale, site relationship emphasis; mixed-use encouraged |
|---|---|
| walkability | Pedestrian connectivity and amenity requirements |
| sub_districts | Sub-district designations with specific standards |
| framework | UPNDC governs; general Land Management Ordinance provisions apply where UPNDC silent |
NRO
Neighborhood Revitalization Overlay District
CONCity Council approval of neighborhood revitalization master plans
| master_plan | Required concurrent with NRO establishment; includes land use and design guidelines |
|---|---|
| scope | New subdivisions, single-family, duplexes, garages/driveways, renovations ≥50% FMV, additions ≥40% footprint |
AP
Airport Protective Overlay District
APGreenville-Spartanburg International Airport vicinity and approach corridors
| compliance | FAA Part 77 compliance required; FAA or Airport Commission written certification before permits |
|---|---|
| safety | Must not impair safe airport operation |
SFHA
Special Flood Hazard Area Overlay District
FPFEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) designations; Reedy River corridor included
| scope | Restricts hazardous uses; controls filling, grading, dredging |
|---|---|
| mapping | Floodplain mapping updated 2024; Geocortex Flood Zone Viewer available |
| special_area | Reedy River Environmental Corridor — critical riparian with environmental protection |
| compliance | National Flood Insurance Program standards |
SSOD
Special Sign Overlay District
CORCommercial corridors
| ssod_1 | Limited Signage Visibility — constrained visibility corridors; addresses freestanding sign size |
|---|---|
| ssod_2 | Enhanced Aesthetics — more restrictive standards in city-invested corridors; design quality emphasis |
Adopted building codes
Statewide
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- No FAR Standards: Greenville ordinance contains NO Floor Area Ratio (FAR) regulations. Density controlled via du/ac (residential), lot coverage, height, setbacks only. Allows extremely dense tall structures within coverage limits. [confirmed]
- C-4 Parking Exemption: Central Business District exempts applicants from minimum off-street parking standards. Applicants submit estimates but not bound by minimums. No sight distance requirements. Enables dense vertical downtown development. [confirmed]
- Preservation Universal Exemption: Both historic properties AND preservation overlay districts universally exempt from parking standards — enables adaptive reuse but may create spillover parking on adjacent streets. [confirmed]
- RM-3/OD Green Roof Incentive: High-rise multi-family in downtown overlay allows unrestricted lot coverage IF structure above first floor includes landscaped roof gardens and permanent green roof features. Form-based incentive for rooftop amenity space. [confirmed]
- Use-Based Parking: Parking entirely use-based, not district-based. Schedule A (defined ratios) + Schedule B (ITE studies for variable-demand uses). Creates administrative burden but allows context-specific calibration. [confirmed]
- RM Front Setback Variation: Multi-family districts RM-1/1.5/2/3 specify 40 ft front setback for single-family uses but NONE for apartments/condos. Form-based distinction within same district. [confirmed]
- NRO Master Plan Requirement: Neighborhood Revitalization Overlay requires concurrent city council adoption of neighborhood-specific master plan. Every NRO has documented, adopted master plan. More intentional than typical overlays. [confirmed]
- Reedy River Environmental Corridor: Downtown development constrained by quasi-overlay managing Reedy River Corridor via environmental standards (floodplain + riparian habitat). Specific dimensional standards unresolved. [partial]
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Grade to highest point of structure. § 6-29
- lot_coverage
- Building footprint / lot area. Principal + accessory.
- far
- Not applicable — no FAR standards in Greenville code
- du_ac
- Dwelling units per acre.
- impervious_cover
- setback_front
- Front property line to nearest building face.
- setback_side
- Side property line to nearest building face.
- setback_rear
- Rear property line to nearest building face.
- parking
- Spaces per dwelling unit or per use type via Schedule A/Schedule B.
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage- max_units_from_density
lot_area_sf * du_ac / 43560- buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2- buildable_depth_ft
lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft- buildable_envelope_sf
buildable_width_ft * buildable_depth_ft
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Research status
Data quality
75%completeness34 confirmed8 partial
Documented gaps
- FAR standards intentionally absent (confirmed); no density limit via FAR
- Specific affordable housing bonus percentages not quantified in accessible sources
- RM-1/1.5/2/3 specific parking ratios — Schedule A framework confirmed; unit-type specifics not detailed
- Design guideline specifics — guidelines exist but dimensional/visual standards not in ordinance text
- Residential ADU regulations not found in searched ordinance sections
- Reedy River Corridor buffer widths and riparian area definitions unresolved
- Historic district boundaries — three named districts confirmed; full list unresolved
- County vs. City affordability incentives — county program details confirmed; city-specific bonuses less clear
Known issues
schema:v1-legacypriority:lowdata:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.